S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Everglades Restoration Progress

JANUARY 2016

Improving Water QualitySince 1994, the State of Florida has investedmore than $1.8 billion toward loweringphosphorus levels in Everglades-boundwaters through a combination of sourcecontrol Best Management Practices (BMPs) viaregulations and constructed wetlands, knownas Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs). BMPsfine-tune onsite processes to prevent orreduce phosphorus in discharges from thesource and STAs use “green technology” tofurther remove excess phosphorus.

• Five Everglades STAs are operational with aneffective treatment area of 57,000 acres,including 12,000 acres completed in 2012.

• In Water Year 2015, these constructedwetlands treated approximately 1.4 millionacre-feet of water, reducing phosphorus loadsby more than 80 percent. To date, the STAshave treated more than 16 million acre-feet ofwater and have retained approximately 2,012metric tons of phosphorus.

• Under the SFWMD regulatory source controlprogram, BMPs on 470,000 acres ofagricultural lands south of Lake Okeechobeehave resulted in a long-term average

phosphorus reduction greater than 50 percentsince 1995, more than twice the amountrequired by state law.

• To date, BMPs at the source and regionalSTAs together have prevented approximately4,860 metric tons of phosphorus fromentering the Everglades.

• Restoration Strategies - The SFWMD iscreating more than 6,500 acres of new STAsand 116,000 acre-feet of additional waterstorage through construction of shallowimpoundments called Flow EqualizationBasins (FEBs). These FEBs capture runoffduring storm events and provide a moresteady flow of water to the STAs, helping tomaintain desired water levels needed toachieve optimal performance. - A-1 FEB construction is complete and

operational (60,000 acre-feet of storage).- L-8 FEB construction is ongoing and is

expected to be complete by April 2016(45,000 acre-feet of storage).

- STA-1 West Expansion #1 constructionis ongoing and is expected to be completeby December 2018 (approximately 4,200acres of effective treatment area).

The South Florida Water Manage ment Districtis a regional governmentalagency that manages the waterresources in the southern part ofthe state. It is the oldest andlargest of the state’s five watermanagement districts.

Our Mission is to manage andprotect water resources of theregion by balancing andimproving flood control, watersupply, water quality andnatural systems.

BACKGROUND:America’s Everglades wasonce a vibrant, free-flowingRiver of Grass, extending fromthe Kissimmee Chain of Lakesnear Orlando to the southerntip of the peninsula at FloridaBay. Over time, significantdevelopment allowed for pop-ulation and economicgrowth. The construction ofcanals and water controlstructures, along withincreased water needs due tourban and agriculturalexpansion, also contributedto unintended environmentalconsequences.

Recognizing that a healthyecosystem is vital to a healthyeconomy, a number of initia-tives are under way toimprove water quality,increase storage and reestab-lish more historic flows.

America’s Everglades

EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROGRESS – JANUARY 2016

- Conveyance improvements required for the movement ofwater to and from the new FEBs and STAs are underconstruction.

- Sub-regional source control projects are ongoing. They includea canal cleaning demonstration project and a water quality dataand documentation summary project.

- Eight Science Plan studies designed to better understand thesustainability of STA performance at low phosphorusconcentrations are ongoing.

Western Everglades Initiatives• Several ongoing efforts to improve water resources in theWestern Basins Region (lands and water bodies within theFeeder Canal Basin, the C-139 Annex Basin, and the L-28 Basin)are underway. - The Western Basins Water Resource Evaluation is

underway and will identify opportunities for additionalhydrologic and water quality improvements. This study willidentify missing data, assess potential projects withlandowners and identify potential state and federal fundingopportunities.

- The Sam Jones/Abiaki Prairie (C-139 Annex)Restoration Project will complement Restoration Strategiesby converting approximately 15,000 acres of former citrusgrove to historical Everglades conditions consisting of anexpansive wet prairie system with depressional marshes,cypress domes and hardwood hammocks. The project willimprove groundwater and surface water hydrology, watersupply and water quality. In addition to ongoing invasivespecies management, approximately 2,600 acres of citrus havebeen removed.

Implementing State-Federal Restoration ProjectsFlorida and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) arepartners on large-scale, precedent-setting restoration efforts,including returning ecological integrity to the channelizedKissimmee River and floodplain and implementing wide-ranging ComprehensiveEverglades RestorationPlan (CERP) projects tobenefit the interconnectedSouth Florida ecosystem.

Kissimmee RiverRestoration• When complete, 40square miles of KissimmeeRiver and floodplainecosystem will berestored, including almost25,000 acres of wetlandsand 40 miles of historicriver channel.

• Florida/SFWMD hasacquired more than100,000 acres of landneeded for the project.

• The USACE initiated

construction in 1999. Three phases are now complete –backfilling 14 miles of C-38 canal and reestablishing continuouswater flow to 24 miles of river channel. Seasonal rains and flowsnow inundate 15,000 acres of restored floodplain habitat.Another 9 miles of canal is being backfilled to restore flow to 16additional miles of the river. Project completion is scheduled for2019.

• To provide the continuous water flows necessary to fullyimplement river restoration, planning and land acquisition arealso underway to increase storage capacity in the KissimmeeChain of Lakes – the headwaters of the river system.

• Environmental monitoring is ongoing by the SFWMD to evaluateecosystem responses to the canal backfilling and other changes.

Foundation Projects• The C-111 South Dade project will restore more naturalhydrologic conditions in Taylor Slough and Florida Bay inEverglades National Park.- The SFWMD is almost complete with acquisition of

approximately 41,000 acres of land, while the USACE preparesto initiate three construction contracts over 2016. Thesecontracts will completethe northern detentionarea and othercomponents,completing thehydrologic linkbetween the C-111South Dade andModified WaterDeliveries projects.This effort is critical tothe District’s ability toretain water withinEverglades NationalPark and maintainflood protection forurban and agriculturallands to the east.

- Construction of the Modified Water Deliveries Project isnearing completion, and new water delivery operations toEverglades National Park are being tested.

CERP & Critical Restoration Projects• Florida and the SFWMD have invested approximately $2 billiontoward implementing the Comprehensive Everglades RestorationPlan. Through September 2015, nearly 64 percent or 259,521acres of lands needed for CERP have been acquired.

• The Indian River Lagoon – South restoration project willreduce harmful freshwater inflows and generate habitat and waterquality improvements in the St. Lucie Estuary and the Indian RiverLagoon. Project components include the C-44 Reservoir and STA,C-23/C-24 North and South Reservoirs and STA, C-25 Reservoirand STA, muck removal, natural storage and treatment areas andthe North Fork Natural Floodplain Restoration.- The SFWMD completed land acquisition and design for the

C-44 Reservoir and STA component. The USACE completed thefirst phase of construction, which includes the intake canal, andbegan work on the 3,400-acre reservoir in late 2015. TheKissimmee River Restoration

Modified Water Deliveries Project

EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROGRESS – JANUARY 2016

The Central Everglades Planning Project includes a suite of storage, treatment, conveyance and seepage management measures thatwill provide the necessary components to deliver additional fresh water from Lake Okeechobee south to Water Conservation Area 3,Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. Once implemented, the project features will restore more natural quantity, quality, timing anddistribution of water flows to the remaining portions of The River of Grass. The Final Integrated Project Implementation Report waspublished in the Federal Register in July 2014. The Chief of Engineers Report was signed in December.

Kissim

me

e River

C-43 Water Quality Treatment & Demonstration Project

Lake Hicpochee Shallow Storage and HydrologicEnhancement

Kissimmee RiverRestoration

Caloosahatchee River (C-43)West Basin Storage Reservoir

Picayune Strand Restoration

Western Basins Water Resource Evaluation

Southern Corkscrew RegionalEcosystem Watershed (CREW)Restoration

Lake TraffordRestoration

Sam Jones/Abiaki Prairie Wetland Restoration

C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project Biscayne Bay

Coastal Wetlands Phase I

C-111 South Dade Project

Broward County WaterPreserve Areas

Western C-11Water Quality Improvement

Acme Basin B Discharge

Loxahatchee River WatershedRestoration

L-8 Flow Equalization BasinSTA-1 West Expansion

A-1 Flow Equalization Basin

Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough STAs

Indian River Lagoon – SouthIncludes C-44 Reservoir & STA

Lakeside Ranch STA

EvergladesNational

Park

Big CypressNational Preserve

LakeOkeechobee

Water

Con

serva

tion A

reas

Highlighted Restoration Projects

EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROGRESS – JANUARY 2016

SFWMD has initiated construction of the 6,300-acre STA andassociated features, and has also initiated construction of thereservoir pump station. The SFWMD will complete constructionof the STA in 2017 and the pump station in 2018.

- The SFWMD has also acquired more than 20,000 acres of landfor natural storage and treatment areas and initiated wetlandrestoration activities on the Allapattah Flats Natural Storage andTreatment Area in collaboration with Martin County and USDAunder the Wetlands Reserve Program.

• The Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration Projectwill identify management measures and develop a recommendedplan to restore freshwater flows to the federally designated“National Wild and Scenic” Northwest Fork of the LoxahatcheeRiver, as well as reconnect the area’s wetlands and watershedsthat are the headwaters to the northwest fork. Planning isunderway on a Project Implementation Report. Components thathave been constructed include the G-160 and G-161 structures. - Preliminary design for the Mecca FEB, a shallow impoundment

which will provide storage in the C-18 Basin, is underway.This feature replaces the L-8 Reservoir, which was repurposedas an Everglades water quality feature.

• The Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin StorageReservoir, authorized in the Water Resources Reform andDevelopment Act (WRRDA) of 2014, will capture and storestormwater runoff from the C-43 Basin and reduce excessfreshwater flow to the Caloosahatchee Estuary. It will also captureand store regulatory releases from Lake Okeechobee, reducingdischarges to coastal estuaries during wet periods and providingflows to the estuary during dry periods. - The SFWMD acquired the land with significant cost-share from

the U.S. Department of the Interior. All necessary permitting iscomplete.

- Update of design is underway, which will allow theconstruction of Phase 1 of the project. Phase 1 consists of bothpump stations, Cell 1 (western cell), the perimeter canal and allimprovements to the Townsend Canal.

- The first construction package has been issued and work hasbegun. The second and third construction packages arescheduled for April 2016 and December 2016, respectively.

- A Project Partnership Agreement between the SFWMD and theUSACE is being developed for execution in the spring of 2016.

• The Lake Trafford Critical Restoration Project wascompleted in 2010. The removal of muck build-up from the lakebottom and nearshore areas, combined with native vegetationreplanting, has resulted in recovery of aquatic plants, providingimportant habitat for wildlife and fish to thrive in the 1,600-acrelake.- Submerged aquatic vegetation mapping and plantings were

conducted in 2014. - In 2015, submerged aquatic vegetation was remapped to

evaluate restoration success and to provide additionalmonitoring of hydrilla.

- A study is underway to develop an accurate watershedboundary and delineate the flow network for Lake Trafford,which will be used to increase understanding of nutrient inputsand outputs for the lake and for development of a futurewatershed management plan.

• The Southern CREW (Corkscrew Regional EcosystemWatershed) Critical Restoration Project will improve orrestore the hydrology and ecology of the project area along withresulting benefits to upstream and downstream lands. - Final project design was completed in 2013 and permits for

restoration have been received. - Florida/SFWMD has partnered with other governmental and

conservation organizations to collectively acquire 45,000 acresof the vast 60,000-acre CREW. The Southern CREW project willrestore approximately 2,280 acres to wetlands.

- Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2016.

• The Picayune Strand Restoration project will reestablishnatural sheetflow to enhance wetlands in the 55,000-acrePicayune Strand and provide more natural freshwater inflow tothe Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The projectincludes construction of three pump stations with spreader canals,plugging 40 miles of canals and removing 227 miles of roads. - The SFWMD backfilled 7 miles of Prairie Canal and removed

65 miles of roadways, resulting in more than 13,000 acres ofrestored and enhanced habitat.

- A series of culverts constructed under U.S. Highway 41 willrestore natural sheetflow to wetlands south of the road.

- The USACE completed the Merritt Canal pump station in 2014,with canal backfilling completed in 2015. Construction of theFaka Union pump station was completed in December 2015and the Miller pump station is scheduled for completion insummer 2017.

- Construction of the Manatee Mitigation Feature, south of Port ofthe Islands, began in summer 2015 and will be completed inApril 2016.

• The Broward County Water Preserve Areas project wasauthorized in the WRRDA 2014 and is designed to enhance thebuffer between residential development and protected Evergladeswetlands, capturing and diverting stormwater runoff and reducingunderground seepage from the Everglades. There are threecomponents: WCA 3A/3B Seepage Management Area, C-11Impoundment and C-9 Impoundment.- The SFWMD, with cost-share contributions from the U.S.

Department of Interior, has acquired the necessary lands forthis project.

- Construction of the Northern Mitigation Area portion. Federal

Caloosahatchee Estuary Watershed

EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROGRESS – JANUARY 2016

appropriations are needed to enter into a Project PartnershipAgreement.

• The Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Phase I project wasauthorized in the WRRDA 2014 and will restore natural waterflows to Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park, improvingsalinity distribution near the shoreline. This will reestablishproductive juvenile nursery habitats for shrimp, shellfish andother near-shore species. - The SFWMD completed construction and began operation of

the Deering Estate Flow-Way component. Four of the tenculverts planned for the L-31 East component have beencompleted.

- The SFWMD conducted a pilot pump test at the L-31E Flow-way during the 2015 dry season. The pump test will continuefor the next several years until the permanent S-709 pump isconstructed by the USACE.

- Federal appropriations are needed to enter into a ProjectPartnership Agreement.

• The C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project was authorizedin the WRRDA 2014 and will help to restore more naturalfreshwater flows and levels in Taylor Slough, Model Lands andSouthern Glades, with direct benefits to Everglades National Parkand Florida Bay. - The SFWMD has implemented a majority of the project

features. Construction was completed in 2012, tested in 2013,and has been operational since then.

- Federal appropriations are needed to enter into a ProjectPartnership Agreement.

• The Central Everglades Planning Project includes a suite ofstorage, treatment, conveyance and seepage managementmeasures that will provide the necessary components to deliveradditional fresh water from Lake Okeechobee south to WaterConservation Area 3, Everglades National Park and Florida Bay.Once implemented, the project will restore more natural quantity,quality, timing and distribution of water flows to the remainingportions of The River of Grass. The Final Integrated ProjectImplementation Report was published in the Federal Register inJuly 2014, the Chief of Engineers Report was signed in December2014 and the Record of Decision was signed in August 2015.The project is awaiting Congressional authorization andappropriations.

Protecting the Lake and Estuaries Passed by the Florida Legislature in 2007, the NorthernEverglades and Estuaries Protection Program promotes awatershed approach to protecting Lake Okeechobee and theCaloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and estuaries. Protectionplans (updated every three years), in concert with FloridaDepartment of Environmental Protection (FDEP) adopted BasinManagement Action Plans (BMAPs), include a mix of both waterquality and water storage initiatives.

• Regulatory and voluntary source control programs by theFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services(FDACS), FDEP and the SFWMD are being implemented and havebeen demonstrated to be cost-effective strategies for reducingnutrients in offsite discharges from the point of origin.

• The construction of three regional Stormwater Treatment Areas isexpected to reduce the average phosphorus load to LakeOkeechobee by approximately 25 metric tons per year when fullyoperational.- The Lakeside Ranch STA is a 2,700-acre STA adjacent to

Lake Okeechobee in western Martin County. The first phase(920-acre treatment area) was completed in 2012 andconstruction of the second phase will begin in January 2016.The Lakeside Ranch STA Phase I removed 13.9 metric tons oftotal phosphorus in Water Year 2015.

- Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough STAs are two pilot-scaleSTAs constructed by the USACE. The Taylor Creek STA removed1.2 metric tons of total phosphorus in Water Year 2015. TheNubbin Slough STA was completed in March 2015 and isbeing managed to establish treatment vegetation prior to flow-through operation.

- The C-43 Water Quality Treatment and DemonstrationProject will demonstrate cost-effective, wetland-basedstrategies for reducing total nitrogen loads and otherconstituents from the C-43 to help meet the Total MaximumDaily Loads established for the Caloosahatchee River andEstuary. Project land was acquired with funds from Lee County,the SFWMD and Florida. The initial phase of testing (bioassaysand mesocosms) started in 2014 and will continue through2018. Information from Phase I demonstrations will beincorporated into future phases of the project.

Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands

Lakeside Ranch STA

South Florida Water Management District3301 Gun Club RoadWest Palm Beach, Florida 33406561-686-8800 • 800-432-2045 • www.sfwmd.gov

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 24680West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4680

EN/01/16

EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROGRESS – JANUARY 2016

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• The Lake Hicpochee Shallow Storage and HydrologicEnhancement project will capture surface water from the C-19Canal, which discharges directly into the Caloosahatchee River (C-43), hold the water in a shallow storage feature north of thelake, and distribute the stored water via a spreader canal onto thenorthwest area of Lake Hicpochee. - The land has been acquired for Phase I and project design is

anticipated to be complete in 2015.

• Through the Dispersed Water Management program,additional water retention is being provided in the NorthernEverglades. Examples include cooperative agreements with public

and private landowners to cost-share water resourceimprovement projects, retaining water on State-owned lands priorto the implementation of regional projects (interim lands),conducting pilot projects to document the costs and benefits ofstoring water on fallow citrus groves (water farming) andcompensating ranchers for storage/nutrient reductions throughthe Northern Everglades Payment for Environmental ServicesProgram. - Approximately 85,000 acre-feet of annual storage/retention

has been achieved in the Northern Everglades, with themajority located in the Lake Okeechobee watershed.

- Approximately 107,000 acre-feet of additional storage projectsare in planning, design/permitting, or under construction.

• Cost-Share Projects with local governments assist withimplementation of stormwater management, alternative watersupply and water conservation projects. Florida supports theseinitiatives and has cost-shared numerous local projects in theLake and River watersheds. - Since 2010, the SFWMD has supported nearly 50 local

projects in the Big Cypress Basin and has provided more than$20 million in total to Collier County and the cities ofEverglades City, Marco Island and Naples.

- In cooperation with the Town of Windermere and OrangeCounty, a series of stormwater projects were completed in2015 to improve water quality in the Butler Chain of Lakes.

- The SFWMD coordinates and partners on a number ofinitiatives including Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods, LehighHeadwaters, Loxahatchee River Preservation (LRPI), St LucieIssues Team and Lake Worth Lagoon Initiatives.

- The SFWMD initiated a Cooperative Funding Program tosupport local water resource projects. Nearly 200 projects weresubmitted to the District for Fiscal Year 2016 funding.

• New Alternative Technologies Assessment provided aforum to explore additional ways to reduce nutrient loadings inboth water and sediments. The SFWMD issued solicitations thatresulted in the evaluation of numerous technologies. Phosphorusand nitrogen removal capacity was demonstrated by several ofthe products and processes. There are likely many moretechnologies which are potentially available and applicable forstormwater quality improvement in the South Floridaenvironment. Although there are no current plans to conductadditional laboratory or field tests, the District remains interestedin potential water treatment technologies, and a scientific reviewteam continues to vet new products and processes on an as-needed basis.

• FDEP’s Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) are theoverarching water quality restoration plans for the NorthernEverglades. They are essentially blueprints for restoring impairedwaters by reducing pollutant loadings to meet the allowableloadings established in a Total Maximum Daily Load. The BMAPrepresents a comprehensive set of strategies such as permit limitson wastewater facilities, urban and agricultural best managementpractices, conservation programs, financial assistance andrevenue-generating activities. These broad-based plans aredeveloped with local stakeholder input and a commitment toimplementation. The SFWMD is a collaborative partner in BMAPimplementation for the Lake Okeechobee, St. Lucie andCaloosahatchee watersheds.

Allapattah Flats Management Area water storage